Flying-machine.



952,316; Patented Man-15,1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

1. ETRIGH & P. WBLS.

FLYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED r2312, 1906. RENEWED JAN. 18, 1910.

952,316, Patented Mar. 15,1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Warren snares Parana oration.

Ieo n'rnrori an!) FRANZ wars, of

onnmns'ran'r, Near. raae'rnnau, ans'rnrn- HUNGARY.

FLYING-MACHINE.

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Specification of Letters Eatent. Patemtqedl Mar, 15, 1911(1) Application filed February 28, 1906, Serial No. 303,349. Renewed January 18, 1910; Serial No. 538,728.

To all whom it may concern. Be it known that we, Ioo' Emma and FRANZ WnLs, both subjects of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary, residing at Oberalstadt, near Trautenau, in the Province of Bohemia and Empire of Austria-Hungary, have invented certain new and useful Imrovements in Flying-Machines, of which the following is a specification;

Our invention relates to flying machines of the aeroplane class and has for its object to give such a shape and curvature,'to the supporting surface that the perfect stability of the machine is secured under any conditions.

Figure 1 is a plan View of a machine embodying our invention. Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation. Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation. Figs. 4 to 8 inclusive, are sections on the lines A A; A A"; A A

A A and'A A of Fig. 1. Figs. 9 to 13 are sections on the lines B B; B B B B 13 B and B 13 showing the curvature of the wings.

The supporting surface has in plan view, as shown iInFigs. 1 and 4 a forward convex curved edge and a rear concave curved edge,

- the ends of said surface being rounded as shown.

The curvature of the supporting surface is clearly illustrated by the sections of the same on the lines A, A; A A A A A A; A A and B B B B B The section A A which is in the vertical plane of symmetry of the supporting surface is concave as viewed from bottom at its front end, then passes through a point of inflection and at its rear end it is inclined upward and slightly convex as viewed from bottom. The front ends ofthe sections A A A A are the less concave as viewed from bottom, and their rear ends are more markedly inclined upward the farther they are from the lane of symmetry and toward the outer on s of thesu porting surface the concave part of such sections disappears altogether as shown 'at A A The section B B is nearly straight in slightly concave as viewed from bottom.

The farther rearward these sections at right angles to the plane of symmetry are taken the less marked becomes the concavity of their end portions and at some distance from the front end of the supporting surface the citrvatur'e of these end portions is reversed so that those of such sections which are taken more rearwardly consist only of symmetrical branches convex as viewed from bottom as shown at B B B*, B the inclination of the outer ends of these branches toward the horizontal being the greater the farther rearward thesections are taken. Y p

The car 2 is preferably made fish shaped and its longitudinal axis is in the cen ral line of the sup orting surface. Care has to be taken to ring the center of gravity of the entire machine into the lon itudinal axis of the car and as far as possib e toward the front end of the latter. The d ing machine is propelled by screw prope lers 3, 3 the axes of which are journaled 1n openings in the supporting surface of both ends of the car 2 and the inclination or pitch of the propeller blades is so determined that the blades of the two propellers whichrevolve in opposite directions move toward each other below the supporting surface.

The effect of the configuration above described of the supporting surface is that when the flying machine is left to itself after having been raised moves it downward and forward along an inclined line the inclination of which toward the horizontal is determined by the dimensions of the supporting surface the position of the center of gravity in the supporting surface and pargculirly by the shape of the sections A A if the machine is besides driven' forward by the propellers the inclination toward the horizontal of the line along which the cen ter of gravity moves downward would naturally decrease even without the assistance of the particular configuration of the supporting surface. Now as the resistance or pressure of air acting uponthe rear upwardly inclined portions of the supporting surface increases with the speed re a ive y to the surrounding air of the machine moving forward the supportin surface will be turned rear edge downwar, around the transverse axis passing through the center of gravity through a greater an le the greater the s' eed of the flying mac ine. As, moreover, t e inclination relatively to the sup orting surface of the resultant of the prope ling power produced by the propellers is constant, the propellers being journaled in the supporting surface, by thus turning the supporting surface around its transverse axis the resultant of the propelling power will soon assumeanupward and forward. directeract tion and this the more markedly the greater the speed of the machine is relatively to' the surrounding air, thatis to say the faster the propellers are revolving. But the greater theangle is at which the resultantof the propelling power is inclined upward and forward to the greater extent it will coun-' avity andcons uently by properly I increasing the number 0 revolutions of the propellersperunit of time and by properly selecting the inclination or pitch of the a propeller blades not only the sinking of the machine due' to gravity can be retarded or entirely compensated, ut the machine can be caused to descend. Our improved flying machine is thus steered in the vertical direction simply by varying the revolving speed of the 'propellers. The maximum upward inclination of the resultant of the propelling power and hence also the maximum angle at which the machine may ascend depends- 1 apart fromthe arrangement of the propellers in the supporting surface that is to say much more reliable'and prom t.

fropellers and the supporting surface, an a art and a justab e b the angle between'the axes of such from the maximum speed attainable o the propellers upon the shape of the section' curves A A; A, A and more particularly upon the inclination of the rear portions 0 such curves relatively to the propeller axes.

. The horizontal or lateral steering is effected. by temporarily making the speed of one of the propellers higher or lower'than the propellers greater or smaller than that of the other propeller.

By causing the blades of the propellers to move toward each other on the underside of the supporting surface in air that is so to speak compressed as compared with the air on the upper side of the sup orting surface and owing to the fact that e propeller blades moving toward each other tend to still further increase the compression of such air the efficiency of the propellers is materially increased.

By the above described configuration of the supporting surface the stability of the same is secured in case of wind coming from the'side or v from rear. If wind coming from i the wind, the result of this is,'the two halves of the supporting surface being curved'rupward,- that the half of the supporting surface away from the wind meets with an in creased resistancein the air and'that consequentlythe supporting surface is returned -to its normal position. In case of wind coming from rear the action is similar to that just describedbut in this case also'the front portion of the supporting surface which is concave as viewed from-bottom produces a beneficial eflfect as it causes the caring point of the resultant of the back wind to come in front of the center of avity whereby the tilting tendency of the back wind is overcome.

At the bottom side of the flying machine there are rovided runners 18 and if desired also whee s 20 by which thev machine may rest on the ground. 'The-runners are convex as viewed from bottom so that the machine while on the ground may assume the inclination corresponding to its speed rela-.

tively to the surrounding. air wherebythe rising of the machine from the'ground ,is

' Thereby this-half isslightly raised and the machine tends to descend in thedirection of notably. facilita'ted.'- In case that thereis no snow the wheels are used for starting.

The machine ma also be let go without a person being in it t Claims. v I

e same as a fish torpedo.

1. In. a flying machine of the aeroplane class, a supporting surface having a forward convex curved edge, a rear concave edge and d rounded and portions, the sections of such surface taken on planosparallel to the plane of symmetry being concave as viewed from the ottom at the front end,'and convex as viewed from bottom at the rear end, the concave part being the less marked the farther the sections are from theplane of symmetry and entirely disappearing toward the ends of the supporting surface, whereas the convex portion of these sections is the more marked and inclined upward at the greater an an Ie the farther these sections are from the p ane of symmetry, while the sections taken on planes at right angles to the plane of symmetry are approximately straight in their central ortion and concave as viewed from bottom in the front portion of the supporting surface such concavity diminishing rapidly and changing into convexity as the sections approach the rear side of the supporting surface the u ward inclination of- 2. in a supporting surface substantially as described a frame work comprising two series of rods therods of one series being approximately arallel I to the transverse axis and the r s of the other series being approximately parallel to the longitudinal axis of the supporting surface, the longitudinal rods located toward the ends of the supporting surface diverging outwardly and the transverse rods havmg rearwardly bent elastic ends, such ends of successive transverse rods being secured to successive longitudinal rods located towardthe ends of the supporting surface and diverging outwardl and the free ends of the longitudinal '15 rods eing secured to a rod runnin all around and forming the outer edge 0 the supporting surface, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof we have signed our 20 names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

1G0 ETRIGH. FRANZ WELS. 

